Nerusona
by izakano
Summary: Raised in an environment full of violence, war, and hate, it's up to Tanaka to help his friends become kind people and investigate mysterious occurrences happening at his school. [Sekai Seifuku by Neru (Vocaloid producer) with Persona concepts. Rated M for future chapters.]
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

* * *

Power is something that people are naturally drawn to. The greatest form of authority would be to be in full control of the world, and many of times such a desire had been sought after.

Not once had a single person been the leader of the entire planet.

Sometime late in the 21st century, a new attempt at world domination spurred nearly out of nowhere. Wars were inevitable; with the rapid growth of technology, many countries feared the damage high-tech weapons would deliver and submitted before any actual wars broke out. Some countries aligned with ××× hoping that they wouldn't be regarded as enemies.

Those opposing ××× formed a unity among themselves and became the Resistance.

Those aligned with ××× became known as the Conquerors, and ×××'s goal for world domination was informally called the Conquest.

Before war even started, there was terror. ××× constantly announced to the world how they were going to one-by-one crush every country apart of the Resistance. Provoking fear was effective, and a few countries gave in and joined the Conquest. Some countries toppled from civil conflicts, erasing their names from existence.

Then came violence. War was officially declared between the Conquerors and the Resistance, and both sides lost hundreds of thousands of lives during the first decade of war. Advanced weapons were capable of wiping small countries completely off the map. It wasn't uncommon for countries to switch sides because of the totality of the war.

After the second decade of the war, violence toned down—rather than repeatedly launching missiles and bombs at each other, the Conquerors and Resistance would march into one another's territories in hopes of gaining land from the defeated faction. Near the end of the decade, many countries seceded from the Conquest to aid the Resistance. This enraged the leader of the country of ×××, and violence through weapons slowly increased again.

…

Children growing up in the third decade of war have grown up exposed to a plethora of violence and hate. Some children's parents may recall when the war had first begun, while their grandparents may remember what life was like before the Conquest existed.

In the country of ○○○, children do not go to school to map out their careers and lives awaiting them; their futures are already preset for them depending on their academic achievements. Those better skilled with their minds move on to assist planning out battles and designing weapons. Those with physical potential become soldiers. Those who drop out of school become factory workers.

And in ○○○, the capitol is home to the most prestigious school: Shoudou Academy. It's at the top of the line for training juveniles and shaping them into soldiers and workers for the Resistance. Only a select amount of people are allowed to join the school each year, given that they've paid the heavy application fee and have passed a lengthy test. Shoudou accepts any grade of children from elementary to high school. College is a nonexistent thing in ○○○.

The new school year approaches for Shoudou Academy. Some students are returning and moving up to the next grade while new faces will appear on campus. Everyone is fully aware that ××× could strike at any moment, and that students' futures have already been set for them by adults. It's up to the students whether to let their own worlds be conquered or seize and dominate their own.

**Part 1:** April  
**Chapter 1**

* * *

**April 1st. Tuesday.**

The campus was much larger than Tanaka had imagined.

He'd seen pictures of how tainted the Earth was outside of ○○○; most of the land had been reduced to dirt, large craters left from missiles and bombs stretched out for miles, buildings and skyscrapers were nothing more than rubble, and corpses of fallen soldiers were scattered throughout the war zones. Shoudou Academy was nothing like that. Massive, healthy trees stood near the entrance of the school as if showing off that life flourished inside the campus. Even though ○○○'s capitol had a futuristic design and was practically crafted out of metal, the academy looked as if it had been undamaged or affected by the war. The campus gate was already open, and dozens of students were already hastily making their way inside.

"Oi, Tanaka, come on," called out a feminine voice. Tanaka had been standing in front of the campus, staring ahead as if in a trance. When a sudden hand latched onto his arm, he was brought back to reality. "I don't want to get in trouble on our first day of school!"

The voice and hand belonged to his sister, Yamaguchi. Her dark hair was tied into twin pigtails, positioned lower than where her canine-like ears were. She and her brother looked like twins, both having nearly identical hairstyles and ears.

"I guess they're really that obvious, huh?" said Yamaguchi, noticing Tanaka's gaze on her ears. "I feel like everyone's already staring at us. Let's get going." She tugged at her brother's arm, dragging him into the school building. "Where do we even go…?"

Tanaka only shrugged. Like hell he knew.

Yamaguchi huffed. "Can't you at least help me out? Use your eyes and ears or something. And your voice, too. You need to stop being so quiet all the time." She let go of the male's arm, gaze wandering left and right. "Argh, it's like a zoo in this hallway!"

Indeed, it was like a zoo. Students meandered everywhere, often bumping into each other. Their voices overlapped one another, making it nearly impossible to pick up on just one voice. He turned away from his sister, wondering if stepping aside from the clutter of students would—

_Auditorium._

That single word was all he managed to pick out.

When he turned back towards Yamaguchi, he had lost sight of her. Typical. Tanaka began to make his way through the body of students, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone with dog-like ears and pigtails. "Yamaguchi—"

"Ha. I bet you were worried there for a second."

He turned around towards his grinning sister. "Everyone's heading to the auditorium."

"Good job, you actually did something useful."

Tanaka returned to being silent and followed his sister into the crowd of people.

…

"Children of the future," started the school principal, speaking with a loud and confident tone, "I welcome you to Shoudou Academy." He was on the auditorium stage behind a podium, speaking out to the hundreds of students all seated in front of him. "Some of you already may be acquainted with our campus. Some of you may be brand new and took awhile to get here." The principal was tall and had broad shoulders, and his hands were clasped together behind his back. "First of all, I would like to congratulate each and every one of you to making it here, as it is no easy task to be accepted into our academy. ○○○ is proud to have such students training to assist the Resistance."

Yamaguchi, who was sitting adjacent to Tanaka, nudged her brother. "There _has_ to be at least a thousand kids here." She was immediately hushed by fellow students.

"I would like to remind everyone that even though Shoudou accepts children of all ages, your age does not determine how smart or how strong you are. For the first few weeks of school, you will all be assessed whether or not you belong into one of three categories: the Mind Division, for those who excel with their intellects; the Body Division, for those who excel with their physical strengths and abilities; and the Soul Division, for those who have both their brains and brawn balanced out. During these tests, you will all be staying in temporarily classrooms and review the history of ○○○ and the war."

Yamaguchi nudged Tanaka again, mumbling in a quieter tone as the principal began to talk about ○○○ and ××× and the war. A couple of other nearby students began to whisper to each other too, probably bored of hearing the history of the war for the hundredth time.

That was when he heard it.

_"Hey, did you hear about that rumor? That worthless kids come here at night and mysteriously disappear?"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 1:** April  
**Chapter 2**

* * *

_"Hey, did you hear about that rumor? That worthless kids come here at night and mysteriously disappear?"_

Tanaka's ears twitched as his curiosity piqued. He was tempted to turn around and ask the students sitting behind him what they meant, but the principal's speech was drawing towards the end.

"You are allowed to choose from one of three classrooms depending on your grade level, but keep in mind that after your assessments you will be assigned teachers. May you all try your hardest to graduate and become fine soldiers and workers. ○○○'s future depends on you to crush the Conquest. And with that, I dismiss you all." The principal then wandered off the auditorium stage, and students began to mingle amongst themselves.

Yamaguchi nudged her brother once more. "Let's choose the same classroom," she said.

Tanaka replied with a nonchalant nod. They both rose from their seats, and Tanaka picked up on a conversation held by the students a row ahead of them.

"Where do we go?" queried a female voice.

"We're high schoolers, so we go to the third floor. Elementary classes are on the first floor, middle school classes are on the second floor, and high school classes are on the third floor," answered a male voice.

Yamaguchi took a hold of Tanaka's hand. "Looks like we're going to the third floor, then."

Tanaka yanked his arm away from her. "Stop grabbing me."

"Fine, I'll go on ahead." She began to follow the other high school students out of the auditorium.

_"That girl has weird ears."_

Tanaka exhaled a sigh and followed his sister, accidentally bumping into a girl in the process.

…

"This school is huge!" exclaimed the dog-eared female, sitting backwards in her desk to talk to her brother. "There are three classrooms per grade, which means the first floor has a total of eighteen classrooms. The second floor only has half of that, nine, but to make up for the space there's a library and extra rooms for which I believe are for clubs. And on this floor, there's an indoor pool. Cool, huh? I can't wait for summer so we can use it." She gave the male a bright, toothy grin. "Too bad there aren't any dorms. I'd love to live here."

_"Are those animal ears?"_

Yamaguchi only babbled on. Was she not aware that kids were already talking about their ears, or was she simply ignoring them?

_"Maybe they lived in one of those war zone cities and mutated from one of the attacks."_

_"Gross, I don't want to be mutated either if they're infected!"_

Tanaka frowned. No matter where he and Yamaguchi went, there was always someone who talked about their different appearances behind their backs. Part of him wondered if they were even aware they had sharp hearing.

"You keep zoning out," noted Yamaguchi. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"You always say that. There's—"

"Good morning, class," spoke a deep voice, a tall figure walking into the classroom.

Everyone immediately sat down in their desks, and Yamaguchi turned around.

The figure stopped behind the wide desk in the middle of the room. He had blond hair, a red cap, an eye patch covering his right eye, odd clothes that consisted of the colors red and green, and a pipe in his mouth. "My name is Rokurou," he spoke, writing his name on the blackboard behind him, "but if you'd like, you can call me Roku instead. Welcome to classroom 2-C. Most of you won't be here next month since I teach second-year high school students in the Soul Division. A majority of you will be moving on to either the Mind or Body divisions next door."

A hand shot up in the air.

"…what do you mean you already have a question?"

"I thought smoking on campus is prohibited," said the student.

"You don't see smoke anywhere, do you?"

He lowered his hand.

"Since it's the first day of school, today is pretty much a free day. You can talk or ask me anything about the school, but please keep your voices down and stay inside the classroom. After lunch, I'll give you guys a tour of the school." Roku sat down behind the desk and began to read a newspaper about current war events, keeping the pipe in his mouth.

_"Is it me, or does this school get weirder and weirder kids each year?"_

_"The staff is kind of weird, too…"_

"What should we do after school, Tanaka?" asked Yamaguchi, who was already turned around in her seat.

"I don't know," he bluntly replied.

"I think we should take a stroll through the city. There's lots of buildings to look at." She leaned on Tanaka's desk with her elbow, holding her cheek in her hand and staring outside the classroom's window. "All the buildings in this city are ugly-looking, though."

"They're designed to withstand bombs," interrupted the teacher. "Your voice is too loud."

"I'm sorry, sensei."

The whole classroom's eyes were on Yamaguchi.

…

Several hours passed with students telling their friends about their vacations, and as Roku said he gave class 2-C a tour of the school after lunch. The day was nearing its end, and when the school bell reverberated throughout the campus students excitedly rose out of their seats.

"Tomorrow we'll begin reviewing the history of ○○○," muttered the teacher. "Have a good day."

When Tanaka and Yamaguchi managed to get out of the classroom and make it out to the hallway, Yamaguchi pulled her brother aside from the crowd.

"Can you wait for me?" asked the female, ears flicking a little. "I need to use the restroom."

He gave a silent nod, standing with his back pressed against the wall as his sister entered the restroom.

_"I heard there's a fight going on downstairs."_

_"A fight on the first day of school? Where is it?"_

_"Drama club. Second floor."_

_"I heard there's a couple of creepy kids in that club."_

Before he knew it, Tanaka's legs were already moving towards the stairs.

…

_"Leave me alone!"_

Tanaka's ears perked up as he neared the room with "Drama Club" labeled on the front of the door. The voice belonged to a girl, and she sounded as if she was being harassed. As he reached the door, Tanaka flinched as he heard the sound of someone being slapped.

_"Stupid bitch."_

He entered the room, noticing a high school girl with black hair being cornered by two male students. All three of them simultaneously turned their heads towards Tanaka.

"And who the hell are you?" one of them called out to him, balling his fists.

The girl with the medium length hair kept her gaze averted, not saying a single word. She had her arms crossed over her body in a defensive manner.

"Leave that girl alone," said Tanaka.

"Stay out of our business," replied the second male, turning around to face the dog-eared teen, "unless you want to break an arm."

Tanaka only took a step forward. "I said to leave that girl alone."

"So you're the rumored Dog Boy. Where's Dog Girl?"

"I guess I wouldn't be wrong to call her a bitch," one of the boys snickered.

Tanaka balled his fists too and took another step towards them.

"Whatever. Let's see if you're all bark or all bite."

Both of the male students stepped away from the dark-haired girl, providing her an opportunity to leave. Instead of doing something to assist Tanaka, she fled the club room.

"A freak like you doesn't belong here," muttered one of the two boys. "I bet you're a spy for the Conquest."

"In that case, let's kill him right here!" retorted the other boy. "Don't worry, we'll leave your body where no one will find you." He took a few steps towards Tanaka, raising his fists. "Because after all, worthless students disappear here at night."

The punch was aimed for his face; when it was delivered, Tanaka's world went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 1:** April  
**Chapter 3**

* * *

_Worthless._

Tanaka groggily forced an eye open. His whole body hurt, namely due to the position he was in; he was crammed in a tight space, more specifically a corner, with half of his body leaning against a wall and the other laying on the ground. Everything was dark, so he assumed that he was inside some sort of cabinet or closet. A faint sliver of light peeked through the middle of the compartment he was in, so said cabinet must have had two doors. He groaned and heaved himself off of where he was positioned, getting up to his feet in a wobbly manner.

Tanaka peered through the miniscule opening with his functioning eye—the other eye refused to open and was swollen shut—and was unable to see anything. He pressed his hands against the compartment doors, knocking on it lightly. It was made out of a metallic material, so there was a good chance the compartment he was trapped inside was where the cleaning supplies were stored for classrooms. Wait, classrooms? Now that he thought about it…

_"Don't worry, we'll leave your body where no one will find you. Because after all, worthless students disappear here at night."_

He slammed his fist against the cabinet's interior wall. He tried to shove open the doors, but unfortunately they were locked from the outside. Surely a teacher or another student would find him eventually…

Unless he really was a "worthless" student, and that he'd disappear soon.

He'd vanish from existence, and his sister Yamaguchi would be targeted next.

And then that dark-haired girl he saved would be targeted again, too.

And the cycle would only continue on.

He slumped down in the compartment, leaning against the side again.

_Worthless._

He clutched the sides of his head. Even though everything around him was completely silent, the students' voices seemed to linger in his mind. This school was supposed to promise he and Yamaguchi a future where they'd be respected for what they do, not what they look like. It was like his childhood slapped him in the face, where dozens of kids pointed and laughed at his canine ears on a daily basis.

Tanaka sighed, closing his eye for a bit and pondering where Yamaguchi even was at the moment. She was in the restroom when he left to rescue a girl from being bullied, and undoubtedly she'd search the school to find him. Unless she thought that he was cold enough to ditch her and head on over to the apartment they recently moved into. They could've been there together right now, preparing for the day tomorrow.

But here he was, locked in a classroom closet left to disappear because he was—

_Worthless._

…he couldn't let his tormentors win. He had to prove to everyone that he wasn't worthless, that he wasn't just some animal. Tanaka rose from the ground again and pressed both hands against the cabinet doors. He'd get out and protect himself—he'd protect Yamaguchi, he'd protect that dark-haired girl, he'd protect anyone else being bullied. He took in a deep breath—

—and then the chimes of a clock resounded. Tanaka counted each chime, counting up to…

Midnight.

Part of his heart sunk; it was too late. He was going to disappear.

"No," he told himself, trying one more time to shove the cabinet doors open. And once he did, they flung wide open with ease. The male stumbled out onto the ground, aching from the pain he already had.

The scenery around him was not the school he knew. A dim blue-green hue illuminated the classroom, and silhouettes of voiceless students sat down in desks. He looked back at the cabinet, noticing a dark red liquid oozing down the opened doors. Tanaka looked down at his own hands, which had the same thick liquid on them. He glanced back at the silhouette students in their desks, who all seemed to be entirely focused on the front of the room. His gaze trailed up to where the teacher's desk would be…

But no one was there. What were they looking at?

Tanaka glanced outside the classroom window, staring out at the dark green sky and vivid red moon. This was all too surreal… He probably hit his head while falling out of the cabinet and was hallucinating. Or maybe he really did disappear from reality and was sent to some bizarre perdition.

"Hello?" Tanaka called out to the silhouettes. His heart jumped as they all unanimously turned their heads towards him.

"Worthless," they simultaneously said with various distorted voices. "_Worthless."_

One-by-one, the silhouettes' bodies began to mutate in shape, their limbs bending in grotesque ways. Black goo began to drip off of their bodies as they constantly repeated the word "worthless" over and over again. Eventually the silhouettes had changed from human-like appearances to giant black blobs with eyes. Each and every one of them stared at Tanaka. "Worthless."

"I'm not worthless," Tanaka mumbled under his breath, slowly inching to the door. He had to get off the school campus—assuming this _was_ school—as soon as possible.

"I'm not worthless," the gooey blobs mimicked. "_I'm not worthless."_ They all remained in the desks—no, the desks were consumed by their sludgy structures—and continued to eye Tanaka.

The male eyed the creatures back, and slowly he opened the door to leave the abnormal classroom. One step outside and the monsters leaped out of their spots, hastily making their way towards the teen. Tanaka instantly took off to run down the hallway; instead of a regular school hallway, the walls were covered with blood splatters just like the cabinet did. The hall itself was irregularly stretched out, and Tanaka could see more of those dark blobs further up the hall.

Which meant he was trapped.

His breathing rate picked up. This was how he was going to disappear, these mysterious creatures were going to end his life, and he was going to die without having a chance to defend himself—

He could feel his heart pound against his chest, hearing his own heartbeat block out his footsteps. Was this what it was like to live one's final moments of life?

Then, like answering his call of distress, a word that seemed like it'd been there forever cleared his scrambled thoughts. He couldn't quite explain it, but it felt like an answer—

"Per…"

Like an answer that'd save him from all his troubles—

"…so…"

And that'd he be able to carry out his inner desire to protect—

"…na…"

And for a split second, he felt as if he understood everything in the world.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 1:** April  
**Chapter 4**

* * *

_"I am thou…"_ a voice spoke, causing Tanaka to turn around. Hovering in the air was a tall humanoid leopard—who was equipped with two swords and a green cape on his back—staring down at Tanaka. _"Thou art I… From the sea of thy soul, I come… I am Ose, the fifty-seventh spirit of the Goetia… I shall lend you my strength…"_ Ose unsheathed both of his blades, turning around towards the amorphous creatures that were pursuing Tanaka from behind. In a few seconds, the humanoid leopard eliminated them with a few strikes from his swords. Ose moved past Tanaka and then began to slice through the blobs that prevented him from reaching the other side of the hallway.

This was his Persona, Tanaka thought, and no longer would he be powerless. The thought of this caused a grin to stretch on the male's face. Ose vanished after the gooey monsters were gone, but Tanaka knew that his Persona wasn't gone completely—he would always be with him. He continued to pace down the hall, his body starting to ache again. The teen had to momentarily lean against one of the blood-covered walls to catch his breath, which stained his hands again. By the time he reached the end of the hallway, he was met with a flight of stairs that lead to the floor below. Hanging on the nearest wall was a small sign that had the number "2"; it was etched in from presumably a sharp object.

Tanaka hustled down the flight of stairs, nearly slipping and falling in the process, and soon reached the bottom floor of the altered school. Instead of abstract, stretched out hallways, everything except the bloodstained walls and other monstrous blobs slinking around was normal. Hopefully he'd reach the entrance of the school quicker than the time he spent running across the lengthy hallway upstairs.

For every time a blob attempted to attack him, Tanaka summoned Ose to slay them. There were a few times where the monsters did manage to scathe him, but it wasn't anything serious or life-threatening. The drawback of constantly summoning his Persona was that it often made him lightheaded and dizzy, so he often had to stop and catch his breath.

Once he made it to the school's entrance, the front doors were closed and locked. He yanked on them and even tried having Ose slash through them, but the doors wouldn't budge an inch. Tanaka dropped down to his knees in defeat, exhausted from running around. He didn't want to admit that he was trapped in this school, but there was no other way to leave without him scrambling around and encountering other creatures. Maybe other students that "disappeared" found themselves trapped in this place too, and died after being stuck for days. His head was getting light again, and he could've sworn he heard some kind of voice ringing in his ears. The teen closed his eyes…

…

When he reopened his eyes, Tanaka was greeted with blue colors practically everywhere. He was inside of a…train car? It looked as if the train was moving, but the scenery outside of the locomotive was foggy and obscure. Instead of sitting in a seat near a window, all objects normally instead of a train car were gone except for a chair Tanaka was sitting on, a table affront of him, and a small blue couch opposite of him that was occupied by a foreign face.

The person sitting in front of him had dark blue hair, a red and yellow bandana, heterochromatic eyes with one eye being red and the other being blue, and ancient-looking attire. Much to Tanaka's surprise, the stranger had big canine ears.

Standing next to the other male were two youths with blond hair; the female had short hair, a white headband with a bow on top, and a red cord around her neck while the male had similar attire but a blue cord around his neck instead of a red one.

"My name is Hisu," the wolf-eared man spoke. "It's always a pleasure to have a new guest here." An amiable grin was on his visage. "These are Rin and Len. They're both residents of this place, just like myself."

The female standing to the right of Hisu said, "It's nice to meet you."

The male to Hisu's left added, "It's also nice to meet you."

Tanaka gave a quiet nod to both Rin and Len.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… Only those bound to a contract may enter here."

A contract? Tanaka couldn't recall signing one…

…until the school application he filled out manifested in his hands.

But why? What was so special about it…?

"You have a very interesting ability that will aid you on your journey, and it is my duty to help you hone it," Hisu spoke. "I only ask that you remember one thing: that you are ultimately responsible for all actions that you take during the course of your journey."

Tanaka gave Hisu a nod.

"You are always welcome to the Velvet Room," he continued. "Please, hold onto this."

A blue light appeared in front of Tanaka, forming into the shape of a blue key.

"I'm sorry that our meeting was so short. Next time, you shall come here on your own free will where we will have no time restraint. Now go forth, dear guest, and begin your destiny."

…

"…ka…"

"…naka…"

"…Tanaka…!"

Tanaka's functioning eye slowly opened up. He was lying with his back on the ground, and Yamaguchi was giving him a concerned look as she knelt next to him.

"Oh my god, you're awake!" she shouted. "He's awake! He's fine!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "Tanaka's fine!"

"What happened…?" queried the male in a raspy voice. He heard the sounds of footsteps approach his body.

"I should be asking you the same thing," she replied. "I couldn't find you after I left the bathroom, and searched everywhere for you. I went to the police after hours of looking around, so they conducted an investigation to find you. But then they—"

"Miss Yamaguchi, may you help hoist your brother to my office?" From the sound of it, the voice belonged to the school principal.

"…yeah, sure." She leaned close towards Tanaka to whisper, "But then they found your body inside of the school."

Tanaka arched an eyebrow.

"On the surveillance cameras, your body just appeared out of nowhere."


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 1: **April  
**Chapter 5****  
**

* * *

**April 2nd. Wednesday.**

Yamaguchi was right. His body _did_ appear out of nowhere on the surveillance cameras.

The principal turned around his computer monitor and pointed at it, emphasizing at the time on the screen. "Notice how at exactly 12:01 AM you appear out of nowhere. Can you explain this?"

Tanaka refused to answer. No…he _couldn't_ answer. He was unsure whether or not what he experienced in the alternate school world was a dream or not. The teen sat quietly in the chair opposite of the principal's, staring blankly at the adult across the wooden desk.

"Alright, we'll start simple. What were you doing on campus at night?" asked the principal.

"Give him some time to think," warned Yamaguchi, giving an impolite glare at the man. She sat next to Tanaka, holding an ice pack to his left eye.

"Miss Yamaguchi, trespassing is a serious crime that can resort in expelling your brother from my school." The principal picked up a glass cup off of his desk and took a sip of water.

"He could be shaken up from yesterday."

The man set down his cup and cleared his throat. "Miss Yamaguchi, let your brother answer for himself or I'll send you back to class."

The female huffed and adjusted one of the bandages on Tanaka's face.

"Mister Tanaka, what were you doing on campus last night?"

There were several seconds of silence before Tanaka finally spoke up. "Two of your students locked me in a supply closet."

Yamaguchi turned towards her brother, shock written all over her visage.

The principal, on the other hand, remained unfazed. "And how did you get out?"

"I don't know," replied the male. "After several times of trying to push it open, it worked."

"The security cameras didn't show the supply closet doors opening, nor did it show you actually being locked inside of it." He turned around the monitor again, showing the unmoving closet as time passed.

"As I said, he's probably incapable of giving you reasonable answers right now due to trauma," interrupted Yamaguchi. "I don't know why he's a suspect of some crime while your own students attacked him."

The principal gave a stern look at the female. "I will not allow ○○○ to be given liars, or let alone troublemakers. You are both almost adults and should act like one."

"You think he's _lying?_" said Yamaguchi, irritated.

"Miss Yamaguchi, lower your tone and get back to class," ordered the principal. "I'll talk to your brother alone about this issue. If he does receive punishment, you will be called back here."

"That won't be necessary," spoke a voice that all three bodies recognized.

Roku made his way into the room with two male students following behind him. They kept their gazes lowered, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

"These two admitted to tapping into the security system," spoke Roku. "These are your culprits."

The principal looked the two boys over. "Hm. Very well then, why don't they explain the whole story?"

Tanaka easily distinguished the two students; they were the ones who beat him up and tried attacking the dark-haired girl yesterday.

"We beat him up," one of them said with a shaky voice. "Both of us."

The other male nodded in agreement. "We locked him in the supply closet after he passed out. We were afraid we were going to get caught, so we hacked into the security system to hide any evidence that we were here."

"But I felt bad and returned to campus at night," the first boy said. "I took the supply closet keys and took him out. He was still unconscious, so I tried to carry him to my house where he could stay until he woke up. He got too heavy, so I left him near the entrance and left…"

Yamaguchi rose from her seat, clenching her fists tightly and baring her teeth. "So you assholes are the ones responsible for his wounds, huh?!" Before she had the chance to leap towards them, Tanaka tightly grasped her arm. "Let me go," she demanded. "I'm not going to let these guys—"

"They will both go under a proper investigation and check out whether or not we can recover the original surveillance videos," spoke the principal. "In the meantime, they will be suspended for physical assault."

"You can't just suspend them though—"

"We will tend to your brother's wounds until he fully recovers," Roku added, giving a glance at the principal. His gaze shifted back to the female. "You should be grateful."

"Leave those two boys with me," said the principal to Roku. "Miss Yamaguchi, please return to Rokurou's classroom. Mister Tanaka will remain in the infirmary for the rest of the day."

"But I—"

"Come on, Yamaguchi," Roku said, exiting the principal's office and gesturing for the female to follow him.

"I'll meet you at the infirmary after school, Tanaka," she told her brother. "Don't exhaust yourself." Her canine ears twitched, and she followed the teacher to return to classroom 2-C.

…

"It looks like nothing is broken," the school nurse said, handing Tanaka a new ice pack. "Your eye should heal soon. Those boys really roughed you up."

Tanaka sat upright on the white cot, taking the ice pack and relieving his pain.

"Did you pick a fight with them?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"What happened?" The nurse was on the other side of the room, getting some new bandages.

"I was protecting a girl."

She turned towards the male, giving a warm grin. "That's sweet of you," she told him. "There's a lot of kids in this academy that get bullied easily. I've been here for years and it's always the same; the strong pick on the weak. I wish this world had kinder people…"

Could kindness stop wars? Tanaka pondered about that topic for several moments.

"Do you need anything to eat or drink?" queried the school nurse, still glancing over at the male.

He shook his head again. "I'm fine."

"I'll leave you be, then. You need to rest. If you need anything, just say so."

…

School eventually ended, and as Yamaguchi said she met up with her brother at the infirmary. She locked her brother's arm with hers as they both departed from the campus and began to stroll through the city to return home. On their way, Tanaka told Yamaguchi about everything he could recall about last night.

"It's really hard to believe you," she said, looking over at him. "No wonder the principal called us liars."

"I'm completely sure that what I saw was real, though…" he muttered.

"Maybe those stupid boys hit you too hard."

"That rumor, though…"

Yamaguchi quirked a brow. "Huh?"

Tanaka ceased his walking. "If worthless kids disappear on the campus at night, how come I didn't disappear?"

"Don't tell me you're secretly into occult stuff."

"No," he refuted. "I _did_ disappear. On the surveillance camera, I appeared suddenly next to the entrance as soon as it was 12:01 AM."

His sister pouted. "Those two boys edited the footage."

Silence fell between them.

"Let's just stop talking about it," Yamaguchi said, beginning to walk again, "because I'm starting to worry you're going insane."

Tanaka remained silent throughout the trip home, contemplating about what really happened.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 1: **April  
**Chapter 6**

* * *

**April 3rd. Thursday.**

Tanaka and Yamaguchi arrived on campus early the next day. Some students gave Tanaka odd glances because of all the bandages on his visage as well as a temporary eye patch that covered up his black eye. When the duo stepped into classroom 2-C, several students gasped as their gazes fell upon Tanaka.

_"What's he doing here?"_

_"He didn't disappear."_

_"Huh? What happened?"_

Both Tanaka and Yamaguchi ignored the whispering and sat down in their seats.

"I can tell them to shut up if you want," offered Tanaka's sister.

"No."

The dog-eared teens fell silent.

The teacher arrived as soon as the bell rang, silencing the idle chatter of the students. "Good morning, class," said Roku, sitting down at the teacher's desk. He gave a glance at Tanaka. "Welcome back, Tanaka."

_"That Tanaka kid and the teacher both have eye patches…"_

"Please take out your history books and turn to page 9. We will be continuing the review from yesterday."

…

The lunch bell sounded, and everyone departed from the classroom. Before Tanaka left, though, Roku pulled him aside.

"You weren't here yesterday, so I'll just tell you now. All students are required to join a club by this Saturday, April 5th. Today, all approved clubs will be meeting to get new members to join. Sports clubs will be meeting on the track field outside. We have track, soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and swimming. We also have a band club, drama club, and art club that meet in their respective rooms on the second floor. If you're really into war, we have a military prep club that meets in the auditorium on the first floor."

_That's a lot of clubs to choose from,_ Tanaka thought.

"When you make a decision, come to talk to me."

Tanaka gave Roku a nod and met up with Yamaguchi outside the classroom.

"What'd he talk to you about?" asked the female, following her brother as they made their way downstairs.

"About clubs," he responded.

"Oh, that. I'm thinking about joining soccer." She grinned widely. "You should join me."

"I want to check out every club before I make a decision," said Tanaka.

"I'll join whatever you join."

…

When the school day ended, the duo first headed outside to where the track field was.

"Track looks like too much work," Yamaguchi commented.

"You run anyways in soccer." Tanaka shoved his hands into his uniform's pockets.

"That's because you have a goal: to kick the ball into your opponent's net!"

They wandered over to where students were playing basketball on an outside court.

"That seems more of a sport for boys," said Yamaguchi.

"Girls can play, too."

"I'm too short."

Tanaka rolled his eye and walked over to a volleyball court. By her expression, Yamaguchi seemed interested in the sport. Also observing the volleyball players was a girl with long, messy hair that stood next to Tanaka and Yamaguchi.

"Why don't we join this one?" suggested Yamaguchi.

"I'm not interested."

His sister pouted and strolled over to a tennis court instead. There was a girl with short hair playing against a girl with longer hair.

"I've always wanted to try playing tennis," muttered Yamaguchi.

"Not me," refuted Tanaka.

"Sheesh…"

Tanaka and Yamaguchi then headed over to where a group of students in swimsuits were standing. A bony-looking boy quietly listened to one of the club members explaining what they do in a swim club.

"…I can't see you wearing something like that," Yamaguchi said. "It's too creepy."

Tanaka sighed and returned inside the academy building, meandering over to the auditorium. Yamaguchi followed, and they both peeked inside where the military prep club was meeting. Several students were talking loudly, chitchatting about the war. A girl with short hair and a boy who looked somewhat similar to her both observed the club as well.

"That club's not for me," mumbled Yamaguchi, walking away.

They both then walked upstairs to the second floor and stepped inside one of the recreation rooms where students were playing instruments.

"It hurts my ears," Yamaguchi bluntly said. "I can't play an instrument, either."

They sauntered over to the art club's room. Students were busily painting away; a female student was posing in front of a male student, and he was drawing her on an easel.

"Painting is too messy."

"Falling and sliding in dirt while chasing a ball is just as dirty," Tanaka replied.

"We checked out all the clubs, so what are we going to pick?"

"There's one more."

Tanaka knew exactly where the next club's room was. Yamaguchi stuck close behind him as he entered inside. Several pairs of eyes fell upon the two canine-eared students, and the club immediately hushed.

"Welcome to drama club," a foreign voice spoke. It belonged to a blue-haired student dressed in odd apparel.

"Are you by any chance lost?" added a blonde girl, peering over the blue-haired boy's shoulder.

"No," answered Tanaka. "I'm interested in joining."

Yamaguchi tugged at Tanaka's arm. "Are you sure?"

Tanaka nodded. "I have to go tell Roku-sensei—"

"There's no need to do so," a familiar voice interrupted. "I'm right here."

Tanaka and Yamaguchi simultaneously turned around, noticing their teacher standing next to the doorway.

"Sorry I'm late," he said to the blue-haired student. "The teacher meeting took longer than I expected."

"That's alright, sensei," the boy replied.

Roku turned towards Tanaka and Yamaguchi. "I'm the teacher in charge of this club. I'll add you to the member list right now."

The blue-haired boy gave a welcoming grin to the two new members. "My name is Shido. I'm the club leader. The girl next to me is Ruki."

Ruki gave a shy wave to Tanaka and Yamaguchi. She had short blonde hair and was dressed in strange attire just like Shido.

"My name is Tanaka."

"And I'm his sister, Yamaguchi," spoke the dog-eared girl.

A blond boy wearing a reptilian hat waved over at the newcomers. "My name is Leo!"

There was a young dark-haired boy trying to hide behind Leo; he appeared to be an elementary student.

"This is Teddy," said Leo. "He's kind of shy, but he'll open up to you—"

Teddy pulled on Leo's reptilian tail, and Leo yelped.

"Stop that, Teddy," a female voice warned.

Tanaka glanced over at the last club member to introduce herself. It was the dark-haired girl he saved the other day.

"What are you staring at me for?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble the other day. Now—"

"That's Raku," interjected Shido. "She's cold at first, but just like Teddy she'll warm up to you over time."

Raku gave Shido a threatening glare.

Ruki stepped away from Shido and into Tanaka's sight. "We're all a little strange here," she said. Then, she pointed at his canine ears. "You'll fit right in, no?"

Tanaka suddenly recalled a student's comment…

_"I heard there's a couple of creepy kids in that club."_

"Drama club meets up here three times a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. We'll start actual activities next week," spoke Shido. "Oh! That reminds me, do you two have cellphones? I'll text you just in case meetings are rearranged or cancelled."

Tanaka and Yamaguchi both nodded and pulled out their cellphones to exchange numbers with Shido.

Tanaka then felt as if a bond was forming between himself and the drama club…


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 1: **April  
**Chapter 7**

* * *

**April 4th. Friday.**

Both Tanaka and Yamaguchi diligently paid attention in class as Roku continued to review the history of the war. He also mentioned that starting on Monday, April 7th, quizzes will be handed out and will determine which division of classrooms students will be placed in. On May 1st, most students will be changing classrooms. Other than Roku's lectures and the announcement, the school day wasn't particularly interesting.

…

"Is your eye healing?" asked Yamaguchi as she strolled home with her brother.

"The swelling is starting to go away," he replied.

"I wonder if those two boys were expelled…" she mumbled. "Or if they ever recovered the original surveillance recordings. Maybe I'll ask Roku-sensei tomorrow."

"I don't think those recordings were even edited." Tanaka kept his voice quiet as they continued to wander home.

"Huh? What'd you say?"

"I wish there was a way to show you exactly what I saw that night."

Yamaguchi quirked a brow. "You were passed out, though. You were probably dreaming."

"I wasn't."

_Something's not right here,_ he thought.

"Were you not paying attention when those two boys confessed what they did to you?"

Tanaka frowned. "'Worthless kids disappear on campus at night'…I'm positive that I _did_ disappear, but somehow at 12:01 AM I reappeared."

"I don't understand what you're trying to tell me."

"Let's sneak on the campus tonight. I'll prove to you that I really did disappear for a short amount of time. I'll prove to you that it wasn't a dream."

Yamaguchi halted in her tracks. "What?! Are you _insane?!_ That's trespassing! We'll both be expelled!"

Tanaka stopped as well. "There has to be a way to get into the school without being caught on camera, then…" He scratched at one of his bandages. "If other 'worthless' students have disappeared on campus before and the security cameras didn't detect a thing, there must be a way."

"Why can't you just let this go?"

Tanaka ignored his sister. "…I got it. We'll have a stakeout tonight."

"What—"

"We won't go _on_ campus. We'll watch the school from behind the gates to see if anything happens at midnight."

"Okay, but," she started to make her way back home again, "let's say something _does_ happen. The school distorts into something like what you described. How are we going to get inside?"

She was right. He couldn't get _outside_ the altered building when he was _inside_ it.

"I don't know," he answered. "We'll have to figure that out ourselves. We'll need to bring weapons, too, just in case we can get inside."

Yamaguchi sighed. "I'll bring a knife, I guess. What about you?"

"I'll bring that wooden sword in my room."

His sister snickered for a split second. "That one you've had since you were a child?"

"I'll finally put it into good use."

"Fine, I'll go with you tonight," Yamaguchi said.

Tanaka exhaled a sigh of relief. "It's settled, then. We'll have a stakeout tonight."

…

Yamaguchi tried huddling close to her brother for warmth. "It's freezing."

"I know. We only have a few minutes left until midnight."

Both teens were sitting across from the school's main gates on a sidewalk. If a police car or stranger was nearby, they'd scatter away from the dim lamppost and into the darkness of the night. As they agreed, both siblings brought weapons with them.

"What time is it now?" asked the canine-eared female, her teeth chattering a bit.

"Two minutes until midnight."

"If nothing happens, you're paying for the rest of dinner this week." She continued to huddle close to her brother, and Tanaka didn't mind.

"One more minute."

Yamaguchi looked upwards, squinting to stare at the academy. It was hard to notice because of the lack of light, but she could discern its outline.

"Five, four, three, two, one—"

Suddenly, the lamppost's light turned off. Yamaguchi flinched, and her heart started beating fast. "That scared me…"

"My phone turned off," noted Tanaka, staring at his now dead cellphone.

Yamaguchi pulled out hers. "Huh? Mine too…"

Tanaka nudged his sister. "Look up."

She did as she was told, staring worriedly at the green-tinted sky. The moon was red, just like the one Tanaka described in his "dream"…

"This…isn't a dream, right? You're real? You can understand me?" queried the female, remaining close to her brother as they both stood up.

Tanaka extended his arm to point at the school.

Yamaguchi was almost afraid to, but she directed her attention towards Shoudou Academy. The school buildings began to stretch into tall structures reaching for the night sky, and the school itself had a peculiar glow to it. Judging by the distorted school's towering height, it must have been at least twenty-five floors high.

"What just…happened…?" Yamaguchi clung onto her brother's arm.

"So the school _does_ change shape at night." Tanaka began to walk towards the academy's large gates, and Yamaguchi tried digging her feet into the ground. "Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing attacks you."

When they stood in front of the school gates, they automatically opened with a metallic creaking sound. Normally the walkway towards the school building's entrance was full of vibrant flowers and thick trees, but all plant life was dead and wilted. The building's entrance was abnormally tall and had no doors; instead, it led straight into the school.

Tanaka lifted an eyebrow. "Last time I was here, the entrance was sealed off…"

"I don't want to be here," Yamaguchi said, refusing to step into the school after Tanaka did. "Maybe you escaped this place because you were lucky. I don't want to risk disappearing and being trapped in this place."

Tanaka offered out his hand, beckoning Yamaguchi to enter the distorted school. "We're not worthless. We won't disappear, I promise."

The female shook her head. "I said I don't want to be here."

"We're already here, so there's nothing much you can do about that."

Yamaguchi turned around and darted towards the gates of the school. Tanaka pursued after her, calling out her name several times to get her to stop. His efforts turned out to be futile until Yamaguchi stopped dead in her tracks. Tanaka caught up to her, grabbing her arm.

"Stick together with me," he said. "I'm not sure what other dangers lay around here."

Yamaguchi's attention remained fixed on something else, however. "But…"

Tanaka glimpsed in the direction his sister was staring.

That was when he saw her.

Another Yamaguchi.

**"I don't want to be here, big brother,"** spoke the other Yamaguchi, whose voice was slightly different than the one standing next to Tanaka. **"The darkness is too scary. I'd rather be at home with you comforting me."** A dark aura seemed to surround the female lookalike.

"Who are you?" demanded Tanaka, gripping his wooden sword tightly.

**"Big brother doesn't recognize his own little sister? How could you…!"** A mischievous grin stretched upon the Yamaguchi doppelganger's visage. **"That's expected from a self-centered brother."** The lookalike slowly approached Tanaka and Yamaguchi, and Tanaka soon noticed that the other Yamaguchi had bright yellow eyes.

"There's no way that you can be me," Yamaguchi muttered beneath her breath.

**"But I am,"** replied the doppelganger. **"I am you, and you are me."** The other Yamaguchi was nearing Tanaka and the original Yamaguchi. **"Big brother, won't you take me home? I'm scared…I want to cuddle with you…!"**

"You stay away from my brother," warned the original Yamaguchi.

**"I think you mean _my_ brother. Without me, he wouldn't be where he is right now in life."**

"Stop…" pleaded Yamaguchi, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

**"You can't deny anything because you know it's the truth."**

Tanaka glared at the lookalike. "Who _really _are you?"

**"I am Yamaguchi,"** answered the doppelganger, giving a wicked grin.

The original Yamaguchi shook her head. "No…you're not me!" Her voice rose, desperately trying to get her malicious doppelganger to quit her statements.

As if on cue, the Yamaguchi lookalike warped into a monstrous creature: a ball and chain was attached onto its neck with the ball levitating in the air; it had large, floppy ears and a dog tail; its forelegs were longer than its hind legs, causing it to sit on its hind legs; and lastly, a steel mask seemed to be engraved on its face.

**"I am a Shadow, the true self!"** it called out before letting out a deep growl. **"You're never there to comfort me when I'm sad, big brother, so I'm going to make you suffer!"**

Tanaka glanced over at the original Yamaguchi, but she was passed out on the ground.

He had no choice but to face the ugly part of his sister.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 1:** April  
**Chapter 8**

* * *

_I have to protect Yamaguchi while she's passed out,_ was Tanaka's first thought.

The large creature raised one of its oversized arms, preparing an attack.

"Persona!" Tanaka called out, summoning Ose to his side. As the arm began to strike down, Ose hastily used his blades to attack the beast's arm.

Yamaguchi's Shadow hissed, shouting, **"How dare you hurt me, big brother!"**

Tanaka started to run away from his sister's unconscious body on the stone ground, hurrying onto the grass to move the battle elsewhere. This fight would have been a lot easier if Yamaguchi was able to battle alongside him, but unfortunately she was out cold.

The Shadow turned its body towards Tanaka. **"You can't go home, big brother,"** spoke the monster, maintaining the altered voice of his sister. Suddenly, the large metal gates that allowed Tanaka and Yamaguchi to get into the twisted academy campus shut with a loud rumble. **"Not until I teach you a lesson!"** Shadow Yamaguchi lifted up its arm again, swinging down at Tanaka,

The male was barely able to avoid being squished by its large hand, but the impact of the strike caused the ground to shake—forcing him to fall down to the ground with a grunt. Tanaka lost the grip of his wooden sword, which fell a few feet away from him on the grass. As he got up to his feet, the Shadow was already preparing another attack.

At this rate, this was going to be a lengthy battle.

"Perso—"

Before he could finish his sentence, all the air was knocked out of Tanaka's lungs. He was lifted off his feet as the Shadow's massive hand smacked the side of his body and practically flung him across the front of the school campus. He was airborne for a few seconds; when Tanaka returned to the ground, he felt the side of his face scrape against the dead grass. A few of his bandages were torn off, opening up some of his wounds.

**"The battle's only just beginning,"** said Shadow Yamaguchi. **"I have a lot more in store for you, brother."** As the monster approached, its footsteps shook the ground nearby.

_Get up,_ Tanaka told himself. He groggily rose off the ground and adjusted the eye patch he had to protect his black eye. When the Shadow lifted up its arm again, Tanaka took off to recover where he dropped his weapon. He evaded being attacked again, but he turned around to summon Ose again to slash at the Shadow.

**"Stop being a pain in the ass and die!"** hissed the creature, turning around to face the dog-eared teen.

Tanaka found the wooden blade and swiped it off the ground.

A floating metal sphere was attached to the monster's collar by a thick chain, and it began to glow a bright yellow color. Then, manifesting out of nearly nowhere, a sudden wall of fire was sent Tanaka's way.

He wasn't able to avoid it and yelped out in pain as the blistering heat made contact with his body. Parts of his clothes singed, and his sensitive canine ears were affected as well. Luckily, his sword didn't catch on fire and was safe.

**"Now things are starting,"** said the Shadow, the metallic ball beginning to glow again.

"Come, Ose!" shouted Tanaka, glaring as he summoned his Persona once more. _There must be a way to stop the attack, _thought Tanaka. Ose unsheathed his swords and slashed at the chains connecting the sphere and the collar. Even though they were metal, Tanaka hoped it would do something.

Which it did.

The glowing ceased and the Shadow took a few steps backwards, growling. Just as it swung to claw at Ose, the Persona vanished and the attack missed.

_If that chain can be broken, what would be accomplished?_ mused Tanaka.

**"Why won't you just die already?!"** cried out Shadow Yamaguchi, raising both arms and slamming them down next to the male. The impact left him in the air for a few seconds again even though he wasn't hit, and he fell on his back. Before he could get up, the creature's arm smacked him from his side again.

_Shit,_ he cursed to himself, holding onto his weapon tightly as he was tossed several feet across the grass. A few more wounds reopened, and now Tanaka could feel his nose bleeding. He got back up to his feet, summoning Ose again to attack the Shadow's chains.

Shadow Yamaguchi recoiled again. **"All you do is hurt me, brother!"** it called out in a whining tone. **"I'll hurt you back,"** it threatened. **"Believe me, I will!"**The monster then turned towards where Yamaguchi's unconscious body was laying.

"No!" yelled Tanaka, darting hastily towards the creature.

Already, it was lifting up both its arms and the metal sphere was glowing.

**"I'll make you pay for all these years once and for all!"**

It started to swing down its arms, and the wall of fire began to manifest.

Tanaka summoned his Persona with fierce determination, and Ose appeared behind Shadow Yamaguchi. Just as Ose delivered his strike—

Tanaka shut his eyes and his heart felt heavy as he heard a shrill scream of pain, unable to tell if it was the real Yamaguchi or the phony. When he opened his eyes again, the Shadow was blurry and leisurely fading away. Yamaguchi was awake, sitting upright.

And staring at her Shadow self.

"Yamaguchi—"

His sister rose to her feet, ears drooping downwards. "I…I already said you're not me," she told her lookalike. "So—"

"Yamaguchi," Tanaka repeated, approaching his sister and her Shadow. "You—"

"Tanaka?! Oh my god, what—"

"You need to confront yourself."

Yamaguchi looked back and forth between her brother and her Shadow self, trying to establish what Tanaka meant. "But I—"

Tanaka shook his head. "I know it's hard for your secrets to be spilled out," he said, wiping his bloody nose with his singed sleeve. "And sometimes it's harder to accept who you really are through your own eyes."

The female stared eye-to-eye with her Shadow. "Accept who I really am…?"

Her Shadow gave a nod in response.

"I…guess this really my true self…" she mumbled.

Yamaguchi's Shadow self vibrantly glowed for a few seconds before vanishing away; instead, hovering above Yamaguchi was a dark dragon-like creature who announced his name as Seth. When Seth faded away, the dog-eared female scurried towards Tanaka and quickly hugged him.

Tanaka squirmed away from her grasp.

"What happened to you?" she queried, voice full of worry. "You look terrible."

"It's like I dealt with one of your tantrums," Tanaka said. "I'm exhausted and I don't want to miss school tomorrow. Let's go back home, I'll explain everything later."


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 1:** April  
**Chapter 9**

* * *

**April 5th. Saturday.**

Before Tanaka departed the classroom to go eat lunch with Yamaguchi, the teen was pulled aside by Roku again.

"Did something happen again?" asked the teacher, referring to the new wounds on Tanaka's visage.

The student gave a blank stare at the taller male. "…Yamaguchi and I got into a fight," he bluffed, averting his gaze and staring at his sister waiting outside the classroom. "It was over something stupid."

"I'm not going to ask any further questions," Roku replied. "I was just curious."

Tanaka shrugged and met up with Yamaguchi outside.

…

"The school's roof is huge," uttered the female, sitting down on the cement ground next to her brother. "It'd suck to fall off."

"It's perfect for talking about secrets." Tanaka took a bite out of his lunch. "There's no security cameras."

"Do you think Roku-sensei actually believed you?" she asked with a mouthful of food.

"I dunno."

"By the way, today is Saturday. There's a drama club meeting today."

Tanaka gave a quick nod in acknowledgement.

"That blonde girl said we'd 'fit right in' with everybody." Yamaguchi touched the tips of her pointy dog ears.

"Her name is Ruki," corrected Tanaka. "Leo seems somewhat like us, being not exactly human…"

"The chameleon boy?"

"Yeah." Tanaka continued to eat his food.

Yamaguchi was silent for a few minutes before suddenly turning towards her brother. "Hey, Tanaka?"

He looked up.

"Now that we're away from everyone's eyes, can you tell me what happened last night?"

Tanaka took a deep breath and set his lunch down. "You passed out shortly after encountering your Shadow."

"Shadow…?"

"Shadows are the monsters that reside in that world, I think. I'll call that world the Distortion for now."

Yamaguchi frowned. "But that Shadow looked exactly like me…"

"Your Shadow proclaimed that it was a 'true self.' It kept lashing out personal feelings that I believe you've kept to yourself."

Her face became a faint red color.

"You denied your feelings because of embarrassment," Tanaka glanced over at his sister, "which caused your Shadow to transform into a large creature."

"And you defeated it?" she asked.

"Yes. You now have a Persona."

The female stared down at the ground. "I'm…sorry you had to see the ugly part of me," admitted Yamaguchi. "I don't want to go into the Distortion anymore…I didn't even think it was real..."

Tanaka started to eat his lunch again after taking a short break. "I want to continue exploring the Distortion. I feel like there's a secret behind it."

"I don't want you going in there, either. You'll only get hurt again and Roku-sensei will think you're suspicious."

"You have a Persona, though. With our powers combined, we can accomplish more together."

Yamaguchi's eyebrows knitted together, worrying for a minute. But then she grinned brightly and let out a laugh. "It's been awhile since I've seen you like this."

"Huh?"

"It's been years since I've seen you actually interested and determined to do something you're passionate about. I like seeing you like this," Yamaguchi continued. "It brings back good memories from our childhood."

Tanaka was quiet for a couple of seconds until a sliver of a smile appeared on his face. "Me too," he added.

He felt as if his bond with his sister had been renewed…

…

When school ended, the two siblings headed straight for the drama club's room. Shido met them both with amiable grins and greetings.

"Welcome back to drama club," Shido spoke, displaying a wide smile on his visage. "Ruki and I are the first ones here, and the other members should be arriving any minute now."

Ruki poked her head out while hiding behind Shido, waving quickly to the dog-eared siblings.

"What kind of clothes are you wearing?" asked Yamaguchi, referring to the odd attire they wore last Thursday.

"These are just an example of costumes we'll be dressing up in for the months to come," answered Shido. "Today's the last day to recruit members, so Ruki and I wanted to set an example."

Roku walked into the room, carrying a smoking pipe in his mouth. He gave quick glances towards the four members. "You guys are here early."

"When does the meeting start?" Yamaguchi yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I feel like I'm going to fall asleep…"

"Did you get enough sleep last night?" questioned Ruki, stepping away from Shido.

"Not really, Tanaka and I—"

"We got into a long fight last night," interjected Tanaka.

Roku stared at the dog-eared teen.

"Yeah," Yamaguchi assented. "I'll probably sleep all day tomorrow."

"Will you let go of my tail—"

Everyone directed their attention towards the room's doorway as Leo and Teddy walked into the room. The elementary student kept holding onto the taller male's reptilian tail, his expression appearing as if he was pouting. When Teddy noticed Tanaka and Yamaguchi, he let go of Leo's tail and immediately proceeded to hide behind the blond male.

"Everyone's here except for Raku," noted the teacher, looking over the students.

"Maybe she had to go get something," said Leo.

"Was she here today?" asked Ruki.

"Raku-nee was here today…" muttered Teddy quietly, continuing to hide behind Leo. His gaze remained fixed upon the canine-eared siblings.

"I'll go send her a message," Shido said, pulling out his cellphone.

"Or maybe she just didn't want to show up," Yamaguchi bluntly interrupted, shrugging her shoulders.

Each student—including the teacher—stared at the dog-eared girl in silence.

"No," Teddy said, finally breaking the silence. He seemed to be glaring at the female. "She loves going to drama club." He then pointed at Tanaka. "He makes her uncomfortable."

More silence consumed the room, everyone's gazes shifting towards Tanaka.

Taken aback by the youngest student's statement, Yamaguchi queried, "What did he do?" She returned Teddy's glare. "All he did was save her life."

Teddy stepped away from Leo, clenching one of his fists. "She always talks about how his presence torments her, and how she hates him."

"Are you _kidding_ me? Is she that selfish?" Yamaguchi clenched her fists as well.

Leo said, "I'm pretty sure Raku has her own issues to deal with…"

"We shouldn't argue," Shido interrupted, raising his voice. He turned towards Roku. "Mark Raku absent. We'll start the meeting without her."

Roku gave a nod and did as Shido told.

Shido sighed. "With that being said, today we'll be doing a couple of icebreaker games…"

The atmosphere of the drama club was tense, but the meeting was spent getting to know each other more.

…

Tanaka stared up at the ceiling, his back pressed against the futon. His room was dark with the city's lights providing a faint glow in his room. It was difficult for him to get sleep, especially with his mind all over the place. Eventually he drifted off to sleep, wondering how to spend his free day tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

**Part 1:** April**  
Chapter 10**

* * *

**April 6th. Sunday.**

"Come on, Tanaka, let's go downtown today!"

Groggily opening up his eye, the dark-haired teen cringed as the brightness of the new day peered in through the bedroom window. His sister was staring down at him, already dressed for the day. She gave him a big grin and said that breakfast was already on the table before skipping out of Tanaka's room. He got out of bed and wondered how he and his sister's free day would be spent.

…

"It's a beautiful day today," muttered Yamaguchi, sticking close to her brother as the duo approached the train station. "I heard from a couple students that they were going to be hanging out at the game center."

Tanaka took his phone out of his pocket to check if he received any messages, but there were none. "If we have enough money, we'll go."

Yamaguchi sat down on one of the station's wooden benches. "Oi, can you get me a cola? I'm already thirsty from that walk."

Tanaka sauntered over to the vending machine located next to a pillar, but something caught his eye; beside the vending machine was a bluish door that seemed to faintly glow. His dog-like ears flicked a bit as he gave a curious stare at it. He glanced back at Yamaguchi, who wasn't even paying attention. Tanaka stuck his hand in his pocket to grab his wallet, but ended up pulling out a key that matched the door's color.

_"You are always welcome to the Velvet Room. Please, hold onto this."_

The Velvet Room… Did that lie beyond the door?

Tanaka unlocked the glowing door, blinded by a bright light…

…and soon found himself sitting in the same seat he was sitting in the last time he visited. Hisu, Rin, and Len were all staring at the teen.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Hisu greeted with a smile. "I see that you already have built knowledge on what Personas are—in fact, someone you have renewed your bond with has obtained with as well. The stronger the bonds you have, the stronger your Personas will become."

"You, being the Wild Card, possess the ability to summon more than one Persona," interjected Rin.

"Correct. Your Personas can also be fused together to form even stronger ones."

Len added, "But if you break any bonds, then your power will weaken as a consequence."

Hisu gave a nod, confirming what his attendant said. "If you would like to summon or fuse Personas, please visit us again."

"Alright," said Tanaka, nodding as well.

…

"Tanaka!"

The youth snapped back to reality, turning towards his sister. "Huh?"

"Why are you just standing there? I asked for a cola."

"Oh, right."

He did as his sister asked and bought her something to drink, and the two sat next to each other as they waited for the next train to arrive. When it did, they boarded it and made their way downtown.

…

Tanaka and Yamaguchi spent most of the day walking around the city. They visited the game center as Yamaguchi requested, and as it turned out there were plenty of other high school students hanging out there. Besides visiting the Velvet Room, Tanaka's day was nothing but ordinary. Their return home, however, was a different story.

Car horns blared loudly as they meandered near the highway, and the two assumed a car crash disrupted the traffic. That assumption was quickly discarded as someone shouted, "Get out of the way, girl!" Curiosity got the best of the duo, and both teens pressed their faces against the chain link fence that prevented people from getting onto the highway. It took awhile to notice what was going on, but there she was.

Raku.

Ready to jump out onto the oncoming traffic.

"Tanaka, do something!" shouted Yamaguchi, tugging her brother's shoulder. "Hurry!"

He didn't think twice before climbing up the fence and hopping onto the other side. As he darted towards the female, he could see her taking small steps—one at a time—toward the car lanes. Tanaka hastily yanked Raku away, pulling her back to the fence.

She blinked a few times before realizing who he was, and once she did, she glared at Tanaka with her bright yellow eyes. "Why did you do that?"

His gaze averted to the ground, heart beating fast.

"Why did you do that?" repeated Raku, her own heart beating rapidly. "I—"

"Don't do that again," scolded Tanaka, gesturing for the female to climb over the fence and away from the highway. "Just don't."

**April 7th. Monday.**

The school day was relatively boring compared to yesterday's incident. Tanaka and Yamaguchi—more so Tanaka—had a restless night due to worrying over Raku's safety, and their lack of sleep showed during the day. Roku handed out short assessments to determine which class divisions students belonged in and the duo could hardly focus.

When the lunch bell rang, Tanaka and Yamaguchi headed up to the school's roof to eat lunch in peace. When Tanaka swung the door open, Yamaguchi let out a shrill scream that startled him. She pointed out towards the edge of the roof, covering her mouth with her other hand.

Raku stood near the edge of the roof, her skirt and hair flowing with the wind. She outstretched her arms, ready to take a step forward.

Tanaka dashed after her, dropping both Yamaguchi and his lunches on the ground. He could've sworn he saw Raku leaning forward and beginning her fall, but his hand latched onto hers and dragged the female towards him.

Raku stared beyond the edge of the roof. A few moments of silence passed before she spoke up. "Why do you bother trying to save me?" the girl asked, her eerie tone giving Tanaka chills. A grin crept on her face, chuckling to herself. "I'm a lost cause. Why won't you just let me die?"

"You can be saved," Tanaka said, still holding onto Raku's hand to ensure she didn't attempt to jump again.

"That's bullshit and you know it." Raku's out-of-place grin disappeared. "I've hit rock bottom in my life, and there's no hope of getting out."

"Suicide isn't the answer to anything."

The dark-haired female gave the other a cold glare. "We're going to grow up to become soldiers and die anyways. What's the difference if I end my life now, huh?"

Tanaka bit the inside of his lip. It was true—all students at Shoudou Academy were going to become soldiers as soon as they graduated. "Raku…"

"You're pathetic." Raku's hand squirmed out of Tanaka's grip. "How can you act like such a savior during this era?" She clenched her fists together. "You can't save anyone. Not even yourselves." She turned away from Tanaka and took off for the door, darting past Yamaguchi and back into the school building.

Tanaka glanced back at Yamaguchi to check up on how she was doing, only to see his sister collapse to her knees. He jogged over to her, asking what happened. Yamaguchi only burst into tears, sick and tired of the pressures going on.


	11. Chapter 11

**April 8th. Tuesday.**

Yet again Tanaka and Yamaguchi were concerned for Raku's safety. Roku's assessments continued, and Tanaka nearly fell asleep during it. Yamaguchi had to be elusive and nudge him when the teacher wasn't looking. The two siblings ate together on the school's roof when it was time for lunch, arriving there early to ensure Raku didn't attempt to jump off again.

"You're quiet," noted Tanaka, breaking the silence between he and his sister as they ate. Yamaguchi's lack of a response discouraged Tanaka from speaking up again, so they spent their entire lunch awkwardly.

When it was time for drama club, the group's enthusiasm threw Tanaka and Yamaguchi off balance. Were they unaware of the ongoing situation with Raku?

"Welcome to drama club," greeted Shido, he and Ruki simultaneously waving to the canine-eared siblings. Compared to the last few meetings, Shido and Ruki were dressed in their normal school uniforms.

"Your faces look sullen," spoke Ruki. "Did something happen?"

Yamaguchi's dog ears pinned backwards, biting her bottom lip.

Tanaka answered for his sister. "The last few days have been stressful."

"Leo-nii," mumbled Teddy, hiding behind the chameleon boy as he did during the last meeting, "those two are no good."

Leo arched an eyebrow, baffled by Teddy's sudden statement. "What makes you say that?" he asked, peering down at the dark-haired boy.

Teddy's gaze narrowed into a glare, his sights focused on Tanaka and Yamaguchi. "They don't belong here."

"Don't be so close-minded," Leo replied, stepping away from Teddy so he was no longer hiding behind him. "They're new here."

The elementary student pointed his finger at the two siblings. "I bet you're spies for ×××!" he exclaimed, raising his voice and shushing the room's prattle.

"Don't say something like that, joking or not." Roku held his smoking pipe in one hand, giving Teddy a grave stare. "The government takes comments like those seriously, and not only are you putting Tanaka and Yamaguchi's lives in danger but you're at risk too."

Yamaguchi slowly brought her hands up to cover her dog ears, uttering softly to her brother, "I want to go home…"

Tanaka gave her a gentle pat, sympathizing with her.

"Raku's not here again," Ruki said, switching the subject to something else. "Teddy, was she here today?"

The child nodded, crossing his arms.

Roku marked the dark-haired girl as absent, and yet again the club spent the meeting in tension.

…

**April 9th. Wednesday.**

"Raku's not here today."

Tanaka paused, putting his lunch down.

"I haven't seen her. I tried asking Teddy if she was here, but he ignored me." Yamaguchi stared down at the ground.

"Are you sure she's not wandering around?"

"Shido and Ruki said they haven't seen her around either." The female turned towards her brother. "Tanaka, you don't think she might have…"

"No." His response was immediate, and he stared back at Yamaguchi. "You can't always think like that."

"But no one knows where she is and she might have disappeared or died—"

_Disappeared._

"Disappeared…"

"Huh?"

"I might know where she is," said Tanaka. "And you might know too."

It took awhile for Yamaguchi to catch on. "There's no way I'm going back in there!" she shouted, almost throwing her lunch in protest.

"We have to if we want to save her."

"Tanaka, we're going to get hurt," Yamaguchi spoke, pointing at the eye patch Tanaka still had on.

"If we don't save her, then she _will _die."

"…fine. But if I get hurt, I swear I will make you pay."

"We'll go tonight."

…

"So I have a Persona?" queried Yamaguchi, strolling alongside her brother towards the distorted school. She was equipped with a knife while her brother carried a wooden sword.

Tanaka nodded. "Summoning your Persona should be simple. Wait for your enemies first, though. Don't exhaust yourself."

When the two entered the towering building, Yamaguchi remained close to her brother. "Where should she be?"

"Something's different about this place…"

"Different? How?"

"The layout." Tanaka glanced side-to-side. "This floor is different than last time—everything's located in different places."

**_Goodbye, dear me._**

Yamaguchi clung onto her brother, shrieking. "What in the world was that?!"

Tanaka recognized the voice at an instant. "Raku… She's here somewhere."

"It sounded like it came from far away, though…"

Tanaka began to walk in the direction of the voice, and Yamaguchi quickly followed him.

"Let's check upstairs—"

"Tanaka!"

The male turned around, noticing a big blob of sludge approaching the two. It formed hands, reaching out for Yamaguchi—

"Come, Ose!" Tanaka summoned his Persona, slaying the gooey monster. "That's a Shadow. Instead of screaming, it'd be better if you helped me fight them."

"They're gross!" Yamaguchi lightly shoved Tanaka, telling him to keep on walking. Eventually the duo located the staircase and proceeded to go upstairs.

**_Surely, it will rain tomorrow._**

"That's undoubtedly Raku…" said Yamaguchi, her grip on her knife tightening. "She sounds closer."

"Come on." Tanaka began to speed walk in the direction of the voice, peering left and right in caution of Shadows. When he sighted one, he pointed at it with his free hand and said, "That one's yours."

"No way!" objected Yamaguchi, hiding behind Tanaka. "You're better at this, so you should kill it."

"You'll never learn to use your Persona at this rate. Focus, summon, and destroy it."

Yamaguchi gulped and hesitated. She took in a deep breath and said, "Persona!" A few short seconds later, a dark dragon-like creature manifested and attacked the Shadow in front of Tanaka and Yamaguchi. When the monster vanished, Yamaguchi stared at her brother.

"Not bad," said Tanaka.

"That was cool!" beamed his sister, raising both her arms into the air. "Let's go kill them all!"

The two scurried around the Distortion's second floor in search of either Raku or the staircase, and Yamaguchi eliminated any Shadow on sight. After about half an hour of exploring, she finally grew weary of nonstop combat.

"Tanaka," she said, panting, "let's go home."

"Home? We have to go all the way back downstairs to leave—"

Yamaguchi fell down to her knees. "I'm tired…"

Tanaka sighed. "We'll call it a night, but tomorrow we _will _find Raku."

The two siblings took off to return home, and because Yamaguchi was too exhausted to walk back, Tanaka carried her piggyback style home.

**April 10th. Wednesday.**

The day was cloudy in the morning, but by the time afternoon approached it began to rain. It lasted until dusk, so Tanaka and Yamaguchi lucked out on not getting soaked on their way to the Distortion. When they entered the grotesque school, they layout was altered again; all their progress was gone, and it took a good portion of their time to find the staircase leading up to the third floor.

"Are you okay?" asked Tanaka, worried about his sister's health.

"I'm fine!" she chirped, giving him a thumbs-up. Yamaguchi followed the male upstairs.

**_I'm just everyday trash…_**

"Raku is near," said Tanaka. "She's probably upstairs."

"Our school doesn't have a fourth floor, though…"

"Exactly. This world seems to be some strange alternate reality based off of our school."

"I wonder why— Ah, come, Seth!" Yamaguchi summoned her Persona to take down a Shadow, and Tanaka assisted by stabbing it with his weapon. "Whatever, let's just find the next staircase!"

It took another half an hour of their time before they found the staircase, and the two stopped to catch their breaths before going upstairs.

"It's almost as if… I can feel she's upstairs…" muttered Tanaka.

"You too?" Yamaguchi leaned against a wall.

"We just need to go up there, grab Raku, and leave this stupid place. You ready?"

Tanaka nodded and hurried up the flight of stairs.

The next floor was very different than the others; instead of being a large maze, it was very wide and looked like an enormous hall. It was dim—only the red moon's brightness provided light. In the center of the large hall were two silhouettes: one sitting on the ground, and one standing in front of the other.

Tanaka and Yamaguchi hastily approached the figures, and soon they realized that the person on the ground was Raku…

…and the person standing up was also Raku.

"Two?!" exclaimed the dog-eared female, puzzled.

**"Oh, look, your friends are here!"** chimed the standing Raku, giving a wide smile. **"They've come to rescue you after all."**

"You need to leave," warned the Raku on the ground, not bothering to turn around to face the siblings. "This thing is dangerous…"

**"Dangerous? After all the time we've spent together, that's what you call me?"** The standing Raku had dark yellow eyes compared to the original Raku's bright yellow ones. **"I'm hurt! You shouldn't make assumptions about me!"**

"All you do is taunt me. You're just like everyone else," the original Raku said, gritting her teeth.

**"No,"** spoke the fake. **"You taunt your own self."**

Yamaguchi nearly leapt towards the standing Raku, but Tanaka held out his arm in front of his sister to prevent her interfering.

"Stop talking! You're annoying!" hissed the sitting Raku.

But then both the standing and the sitting girls simultaneously spoke, **_"Why won't you just die?!"_**

The standing Raku put her hands on her hips. **"You're too cowardly to die."**

"I am not!" spoke the original. "You don't even know me—"

**"Of course I know you. I _am_ you, after all."**

Yamaguchi nudged Tanaka and whispered, "Aren't you going to do something?!"

But Tanaka only shook his head.

"No…" Raku clutched her head. "You're not…" Her voice quivered. "You're not me! You're nothing like me!"

Raku's doppelganger eerily gave a wide grin, laughing loudly as her voice altered slightly. Her body began to take a different shape as a dark haze surrounded her, and within seconds the fake Raku transformed into an enormous bug-like monster. It looked similar to a praying mantis—it had two large scythes for arms. The monster had chains around its neck, and dangling below the two scythes was a seemingly lifeless body hanging from the chains. The creature's face was hidden behind a steel mask, just like Yamaguchi's Shadow.

**"I am a Shadow, the true self!"** exclaimed the monster, towering over Tanaka and Yamaguchi. **"I'll bestow death upon all who torment me!"**

Tanaka gave a side glance at his sister, detecting fear in her eyes. "Get ready for one hell of a fight."

Yamaguchi closed her gaping mouth, nodding. "We'll… We'll rescue you, Raku!"

"Start running to distract the Shadow," ordered Tanaka. "I'll move Raku to a safe location."

Yamaguchi clenched her knife tightly, sprinting for her life away from Tanaka. She could feel her heart pounding against her rib cage, overwhelmed with anxiety. Once she believed she was a great distance away from her brother, she turned around to notice the Shadow charging after her. "Oh god," she mumbled, contemplating to summon Seth or flee again.

Tanaka placed Raku's body against a pillar, facing her body away from the ensuing fight. He darted after the Shadow, blade in hand, and summoned Ose to land an attack to redirect the Shadow's attention to himself.

When the monster turned around to hiss at Tanaka, Yamaguchi took the opportunity to slash at it with her knife. She hastily slashed the Shadow's leg and nimbly avoided the assault from its scythes.

Tanaka mentally praised his sister. Despite first using her Persona yesterday, Yamaguchi adapted quickly to combat. Her weapon choice suited her; she could land attacks briskly. On the other hand, his sword was wooden and couldn't deliver as much damage—he'd have to stick with using Ose as much as possible for now. "Come, Ose!" he shouted, and the humanoid leopard appeared and drew his blades. Before he could attack, though, the Shadow swiftly turned around and slashed Tanaka with one of its scythes. The male flew backwards, and the front part of his uniform tore.

"Tanaka!" yelled the dog-eared female, extending her hand out to him. The Shadow turned around again to face her, and out of instinct she summoned Seth to take the hit and attack back.

The male got up off the ground, staring down at his shirt. The scythe had formed a clean wound, and now blood slowly trickled down his partially exposed chest. That could be dealt with later—he needed to jump back into the fight and assist Yamaguchi. Ose reappeared and finally delivered his attack, causing the Shadow to hiss loudly again.

**"This is your fault,"** it said, facing Tanaka. **"You should have just let me die!"** The voice was coming from the hanging body between the Shadow's two scythes.

"We _will_ kill you!" shouted Yamaguchi, her expression showing her determination. "Come on, Seth!" The female's Persona manifested and attacked the Shadow at the same time Yamaguchi slashed it with her knife. "We'll kill you and save Raku!"

The Shadow grunted from the assaults, nearly losing its stance, but stood tall as if unscathed. **"I'll show you what death is,"** it spoke, raising both of its scythes. The hanging body had a faint smirk on its face, extending a hand and pointing at Yamaguchi.

A dark cloud appeared beneath Yamaguchi's feet, and the female stood still in both fear and curiosity. Everything below her looked like an endless black hole, and apprehension made her feel weightless. Before she could comprehend what was going on, a sudden force knocked her off her feet. She sat upright and realized Tanaka tackled her within seconds—taking the attack for her. The dark ring vanished, and Tanaka lay on the ground motionless.


	12. Chapter 12

**Part 1:** April  
**Chapter 12**

* * *

_No._ Yamaguchi scurried over to Tanaka, kneeling next to his collapsed body. She took him into her arms, shaking him gently in hopes of getting a response. Her brother's healthy eye was shut, and the female couldn't tell whether or not he was unconscious or dead. Either way, she feared for the worst. "Tanaka!" she shouted, shaking his body again. "Wake up!" Yamaguchi felt tears forming in her eyes—anger soon followed, and she glared up at the Shadow staring down at the two.

Shadow Raku merely stood there, observing Yamaguchi as she cradled her brother. The body hanging between the scythes of the monster smirked, giving a satisfied chuckle. **"He's dead. Accept his fate."**

"Tanaka, please…" Her voice cracked into a sob, shaking the male gently as she continued to call out for him. "You can't be dead…" Yamaguchi's sorrow developed into more resentment; anger burned in her body, craving for revenge. "He tried to save you, and this is how you treat him… You're unforgivable!"

The Shadow's stance signified it was ready to continue the battle. It gave a taunting laugh, beckoning for Yamaguchi to fight. **"We all die eventually, and you will be joining him soon."**

"I'll make you suffer—believe me, I will!" Seth manifested above Yamaguchi, giving a threatening growl. Her Persona began to viciously attack the mantis-like monster, and Yamaguchi stabbed at its legs due to her inability to attack any higher than that. Both Yamaguchi and Seth endured quite a few hits, but the Persona user's anger kept her motivated and strong.

Several times the Shadow attempted to use the black hole-like attack on Yamaguchi, but all tries failed. Even though it too endured several hits, the Shadow seemed unscathed. **"This is boring,"** spoke the monster, effortlessly swinging its scythe arms at Yamaguchi.

"You shut your mouth!" yelled the dog-eared female, flinging her knife at the hanging body.

The Shadow tried to defend itself by shielding the body with its scythes, but the knife managed to plunge into the hanging girl. It shrieked loudly and flailed around—it seemed Yamaguchi had pinpointed the Shadow's weak spot. Unfortunately she no longer had a knife, and Tanaka's wooden sword was too blunt to puncture anything. The hanging body painfully removed the knife sticking inside it and threw it back at Yamaguchi, but the female was too quick for it to hit.

The dog-eared girl retrieved her weapon, summoning Seth to attack the girl in between the scythes. Many of his assaults were blocked, so Yamaguchi had to somehow climb the monster without falling off or getting wounded. While Seth distracted the Shadow, Yamaguchi cautiously climbed on one of its legs to reach its back. She maintained her balance as the creature flailed around, and Yamaguchi moved over to its neck where the chains that hung the body were located. She took her knife, staring down at the body. The female hesitated for a few moments, but she threw the weapon down at the body and watched it sink into its head.

It made a shrill scream, trying to reach for the knife—but the Shadow's mantis body lost its balance and collapsed to the ground with an echoing thud. Yamaguchi leapt off the body and thudded to the floor as well, grunting at the pain. She glanced backwards, watching the Shadow before her fade away. Left behind was the original Shadow Raku, staring back at the female with her golden eyes. Yamaguchi reached for her knife, mentally complaining about another fight, but the original Raku appeared and walked up to her Shadow.

"Be careful, that thing's—"

"Dangerous." Raku peered over at Yamaguchi, who was still on the ground. "I know." She redirected her attention back to her Shadow. "If you don't get a hold of your emotions, they grow out of control."

The Shadow gave a blank stare at its original self.

"But even if you feel like you've fallen into the depths of despair, friends can help pull you out."

Yamaguchi rose to her feet, standing guard.

"Death shouldn't be a thing to wish for. That's what all three of you were trying to tell me." Raku gave a sheepish grin, glancing over at Yamaguchi and back to her Shadow.

The fake Raku nodded.

"You _are_ me, as much as I hate to admit it in front of others. I accept you. Please don't harm my friends anymore."

The Shadow faded away for good, and standing next to Raku seemed to be a young blonde girl who had an ominous atmosphere about her. She introduced herself as Alice, disappearing shortly after. Before Raku could question who that was, Yamaguchi ran up to her and gave the other female a tight embrace.

"No more dying," she said, tears spilling out of her eyes. "No more—"

"No more dying," repeated Raku, confirming that she would stay alive. "You two saved me. I'm past that." She looked around. "Where's Tanaka, though?"

Yamaguchi's heart dropped, immediately taking off to find where she last left Tanaka. Raku wandered after her, staring around at the giant hall the trio was in. The dog-eared female kneeled down next to her brother again, pressing an ear against his chest. His heart rate was slow, but he was alive.

"He's not dead…" muttered Yamaguchi, relieved. "He'll be fine, I hope. Maybe he'll regain consciousness later."

"Did…she do that?" queried the other girl.

"Your Shadow?"

"Yeah…"

Yamaguchi nodded. "Can you help me carry him out of this place?"

"Sure."

Yamaguchi lifted Tanaka off the ground and carried him in her arms, Raku standing next to her in case the dog-eared female lost her balance or dropped him. As they descended from the fourth floor to the first, Yamaguchi noted that there was not a single Shadow in sight—did she defeat them all earlier?

"This feels like a dream," Raku muttered as the two females exited the towering building. "No… This feels like a nightmare."

"How did you end up here, anyways?" Yamaguchi's voice sounded strained and exhausted.

Raku stared up at the green tinted sky, momentarily musing. "I'm…not too sure… I don't remember what I was doing before, but I suddenly found myself in that giant hall. She was there, too. We argued for awhile, and then you two showed up."

"When Tanaka wakes back up, you should tell him everything." Yamaguchi grinned at Raku. "He's more interested in this whole world than I am."

When they departed off the distorted school's campus, Raku and Yamaguchi parted ways. By the time Yamaguchi arrived at the house, she dropped Tanaka off at his futon and yawned. She felt like sleeping for eternity…

**April 10th. Thursday.**

When Tanaka opened his eye, Yamaguchi was already standing next to his futon. She hugged him tightly, relieved again that he was alive and now conscious. Tanaka was confused, but his sister caught him up on yesterday's events starting from when he passed out from Shadow Raku's attack. He asked what time it was, and Yamaguchi replied that it was almost noon; she notified Shido of her absence and relied on him to pass the news to Roku.

"I told Shido we were sick," Yamaguchi said, kneeling next to Tanaka's futon. "We're going to miss the club's meeting today."

Tanaka sat upright, groaning in pain. He glimpsed down at his body, lifting up part of his torn uniform to examine the damage dealt to it. It had all been bandaged; he assumed that Yamaguchi was responsible for this. When he glanced at her, she nervously turned her head away.

"I wanted to stop the bleeding as soon as possible," she said. "I didn't bother to change your shirt."

"Did you get hurt at all?" he asked.

She shrugged. "A little bit, but it's nothing concerning." She stood up to her feet and began to walk out of Tanaka's room. "We should spend today resting. Go back to bed, okay?"

**April 11th. Friday.**

The dog-eared duo returned to the academy the next day, hiding any wounds they received from the battle with Raku's Shadow. They only missed a lecture from yesterday as well as one of the short assessments, and the latter was made up during class. By the time lunch came around, Yamaguchi had heard from Shido that Raku returned to the school. The news relieved Tanaka and Yamaguchi, and the rest of their day was spent without a single worry.

**April 12th. Saturday.**

"Welcome to drama club," said Shido, greeting the canine-eared siblings with his usual phrase. "I see you two are in better health than last Thursday." He gave a grin.

Yamaguchi nodded. "Yeah, we feel much better. Right, Tanaka?"

Tanaka agreed with a nod too.

"The last meeting was kind of awkward." Ruki scratched the back of her head. "Hardly anyone talked to each other."

"And you're going to blame me again, aren't you?"

Everyone's gazes shifted towards Teddy, who was already giving glares at each club member.

"'You scared off the new members,'" mimicked Teddy, trying to copy Shido's voice. "'If you haven't made that comment, then maybe they'd be here.' I thought you guys were my friends."'

Leo attempted to cautiously pat the elementary student's head. "Teddy, please don't start off the meeting in a bad mood. We _are _your friends."

Teddy took a step back from the chameleon boy, almost slapping the other.

"Teddy," spoke Roku, raising his voice in an authoritative way, "do you need to step outside for a minute?"

The youth clenched his fists, pouting. He took off to walk outside, but let out a quiet gasp as someone entered the room.

"Oi, where are you going?" asked Raku, glancing down at the dark-haired boy. "I thought the meeting just started.

"Raku-nee…"

"Sorry for being late," she apologized, walking into the center of the room. Teddy silently followed behind her.

"Welcome back to drama club," said Shido, his face expressing his happiness that one of the club's members had returned. "Everybody's here."

Ruki gave a side glance at the blue greenish-haired male, giving a faint grin from his content.

"Alright, today we'll be reviewing the history of acting…"

…

"Oi, Tanaka."

The male paused, turning around to face Raku while everyone else left the room. "Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Even though she didn't specify what she meant, Tanaka knew exactly what the female was referring to. It felt nice to know that he was able to rescue Raku and change her previous personality, let alone end her suicidal behavior. "You're welcome."

"No, I—"

"I know."

Raku blinked a few times before nodding with a warm grin. "I'm really grateful for what you and Yamaguchi did. I still have a couple of questions regarding what happened, but I'm sure they'll be explained in time."

"…They will."

"Also, I…I want to be like you and save others."

Tanaka arched an eyebrow.

"I've made up my mind. I want to be like you and Yamaguchi and rescue others too, if that's alright." Determination reflected in her bright yellow eyes as she formed eye contact with the male.

Tanaka felt as if he was forming a bond with Raku…

"I want to hang out with you two tomorrow," she said. "Can I have your phone number?"

The dog-eared male nodded, pulling out his cellphone and exchanging numbers with the female. After, she said she would meet up with the duo tomorrow and then wandered out of the club room. He, too, made his way out of the room to meet up with his sister—

"That certainly was interesting."

Tanaka flinched, instantly recognizing Roku's voice.

"I'm not too sure what you and your sister did to change her, but I'm glad you did." The blond was leaning against a wall, holding his smoking pipe with one hand. "Good luck with your 'saving others' thing. It's really needed around here." After speaking, he placed it in his mouth and wandered off.

Tanaka's heart raced wildly as he watched the teacher disappear at the end of the hall…


	13. Chapter 13

**April 13th. Sunday.**

Raku visited Tanaka and Yamaguchi at their house, and the three spent most of the day getting to know each other better. Tanaka helped explain to the dark-haired female about the Distortion and Shadows, and how Personas aid their users. Raku elaborated her part of the story, telling Tanaka that she couldn't recall anything before waking up inside the fourth floor of the warped academy. She promised that she'd help the two siblings with her Persona's powers. By the time the sun began to set and the sky outside was tinted with a bright orange color, Raku returned home and the dog-eared duo spent the rest of the night relaxing.

**April 14th. Monday.**

"Roku-sensei's assessments are getting boring," whined Yamaguchi, staring up at the cloudless sky above her.

Tanaka sauntered beside her with his hands in his pockets. "Yeah."

"Out of all the teachers at Shoudou Academy, he certainly has to be the most eccentric." Yamaguchi kicked a rock around, her gaze focusing on the ground. "Thank goodness he doesn't smoke during class."

"Yeah," Tanaka said again, using a monotonous tone.

"I guess he's a kind person, though. He watches over drama club, and seems to enjoy the meetings. At least we don't have any of the strict teachers."

"Yeah."

Yamaguchi glimpsed over at her brother, rambling on. "After these assessments, I hope we don't get transferred to a strict teacher."

"…yeah."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I'm just tired."

"It's been a few days since we've gone into the Distortion. You can't be tired." Yamaguchi redirected her gaze to the ground, continuing to kick a small rock.

Tanaka gave a half-hearted shrug. He felt his cellphone buzz in his pocket, which startled the male. He pulled it out and checked who was calling or messaging him, and realized he received a text from Raku.

"Who is it?" queried a nosy Yamaguchi.

"Raku."

"What'd she say?"

Tanaka read the message quietly to himself.

**To: Tanaka  
From: Raku  
Message: Did you see Teddy today?**

He replied back, texting and walking at the same time.

**To: Raku  
From: Tanaka  
Message: I'm not too sure. Did something happen?**

Yamaguchi tried to peer over her brother's shoulder to read his texts, and Tanaka nudged her away.

"Let me guess, you two are already going out—"

"No."

Raku replied almost instantly.

**To: Tanaka  
From: Raku  
Message: He hasn't returned to his house yet.**

**To: Raku  
From: Tanaka  
Message: Maybe he's late. If he still doesn't return home, I'll investigate.**

"What are you talking about?" persisted Yamaguchi.

**To: Tanaka  
From: Raku  
Message: Okay. I'll keep you posted.**

"I might study with her later tonight," he bluffed, shoving his cellphone back into his pocket.

"Oh, cool, we can have her over again."

"Maybe."

…

The two siblings were in the middle of eating a late dinner when Tanaka's cellphone buzzed again. He checked the new text, holding his phone away from Yamaguchi.

**To: Tanaka  
From: Raku  
Message: Teddy hasn't returned home…**

Tanaka put his phone in his pocket after rising to his feet. Yamaguchi looked up at him, asking where he was going. The male answered that he would 'study at Raku's house' and would return later that night. Yamaguchi was skeptical about his answer, but decided not to press any further questions. The male grabbed a jacket and put it on, heading outside into the moderately chilly night.

The streets were dim with most of the streetlights faintly illuminating; if they were too bright, it'd pose a security threat to ○○○. Tanaka kept his hands in his pockets, occasionally checking his phone for any news from Raku. He hadn't a single clue where Teddy could be besides one place: the Distortion. It was likely that Teddy could have been trapped inside of it, so Tanaka would check there first. He didn't bring his wooden sword with him—he'd have to rely on Ose to assist him. He needed a better weapon, anyways.

As the teenager turned at one of the sidewalk corners, the sudden dark figure of a tall man nearly made Tanaka jump out of his skin. The guy looked oddly dressed up, and for a moment Tanaka thought the stranger was a policeman.

"It's a little late for kids to be wandering around at this time, don't you think?" He had a gruff voice, and stared down at Tanaka with his own hands in his pockets. The adult had a top hat and a cigarette in his hand.

"I'm sorry," was Tanaka's immediate reply to the man, assuming he was in trouble.

"Where are you headed to, anyways?" He took a drag from his cigarette.

"My sister and I ran out of bottled water, so I'm going to the store to get some more." To hide the fact that he was lying, Tanaka kept eye contact with the other man.

"Ah." The adult exhaled, polluting the nearby air with smoke. "You should be grateful that this place has plenty of supplies. Most of ○○○'s other cities are dying out from a lack of water and food."

"I am," said Tanaka bluntly.

"You're a high school kid," noted the man, placing his free hand on his hip.

Tanaka nodded. "Yes."

"Where are your parents? Shouldn't they be the ones going to the store?"

The dog-eared teen frowned, his memories of his parents resurfacing. "…I'm orphaned."

"Oh." The man lightly tipped his hat to give his respects to the youth. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Tanaka didn't bother to respond.

"Well, I'll leave you to your business then. I'm sure we'll meet again." He took another drag from his cigarette and walked away, fading into the shadows of the night.

Tanaka felt as if he really would meet this strange man again…

He decided to return home instead of investigating Teddy's whereabouts, and when Yamaguchi said that he returned home earlier than she expected Tanaka replied that Raku 'cancelled the study session.' He entered his room, collapsed on his futon, and sighed loudly.

**April 15th. Tuesday.**

Tanaka and Yamaguchi were eating lunch atop of the school's roof when Raku appeared in a frantic manner.

"Tanaka, Yamaguchi, I can't find Teddy," she said, out of breath. "I don't know what to do… He's not at school and won't respond to my texts…"

For Yamaguchi, this was brand new information. Her mouth gaped, and she turned towards Tanaka as if waiting for him to speak up about the situation.

"I didn't investigate last night," he told Raku, looking down. "I'm sorry. He could be in the Distortion as we speak."

"Investigate last night? What?" Yamaguchi was still bewildered.

"I didn't go to study with Raku last night. I went to look for Teddy," he admitted.

"Study?" Raku looked surprised as well.

"Why did you lie to me? You could have just—"

The door connecting the top of the roof to the school opened, and stepping outside was a teenage girl with medium-length hair. She looked somewhat like Raku, except her hair wasn't as dark and she had green eyes. Her eyebrows were knit together with worry and concern, and she approached the three students timidly. "Um, you guys are friends of Teddy, right?" she asked.

Raku nodded. "Yes, we are. Who are you?"

"I'm Idola," the green-eyed girl replied, brushing her bangs away from her face as a breeze blew by. "I'm his sister."

"Teddy has a sister?" queried Yamaguchi, glancing towards Raku.

Raku nodded. "Yes. He's mentioned her a couple of times, but I haven't quite met her until now…"

"You must be Raku," said Idola. "He mentions you a lot."

"What have you come here for?" asked Tanaka, interrupting the girls' conversation.

"Teddy's gone missing." Idola stared down at the cement ground. "He didn't return home yesterday, and I didn't know who else to turn to—Mom and Dad don't even care. He might have run away."

"We'll look for him," Raku told Idola, causing Tanaka and Yamaguchi to nod in agreement.

"Please, let me help you. He's my brother." A frown cast on Idola's visage.

Raku and Yamaguchi glimpsed at Tanaka, wondering what his decision would be.

"Of course you can join us. When we find him, we'll need your assistance."

Idola gave a nod. "Thank you."

"Do you mind exchanging phone numbers with all of us?" asked Tanaka, pulling out his cellphone. "We'll need to keep in contact with you."

The four students exchanged cellphone numbers and returned to their respective classes once the lunch break ended. After school—and after the drama club meeting for Tanaka, Yamaguchi, and Raku—the four returned home.

…

"We're going to get caught," mumbled Idola beneath her breath as she, Tanaka, Yamaguchi, and Raku sat silently across the academy campus. "We'll be seen on the security cameras and we'll all get expelled."

"We won't," assured Yamaguchi, patting Idola on the back. "We've done this before and haven't gotten caught yet."

"Why do we have to wait until midnight again?" questioned the green-eyed girl, huffing. Her breath was visible in the chilly air.

"Wait a few more seconds," spoke Tanaka, glancing down at his cellphone. "Remember what I told you."

"Yeah, yeah, don't tell anyone anything."

"Three, two, one…"

The male's phone power shut off, and nearby lampposts darkened the night. The green sky was too cloudy to reveal the bright red moon, and without the only source of light the Distortion was exceptionally dark.

"Okay, now we can go ahead and proceed to the school." Tanaka went to turn towards Idola, but she was missing from her spot. "Idola?" His gaze shifted to the academy and noticed the female was already running onto the campus. "Why didn't anyone stop her?!"

"I didn't even know she was gone," Raku said.

The trio rose to their feet and darted after Idola, hoping she wouldn't encounter any Shadows. By the time they passed the large gates at the front of the school, she was already inside the enormous building.

"What the hell is she thinking?!" Yamaguchi gritted her teeth. "She doesn't have a Persona!"

The trio entered the towering structure, calling out for Idola multiple times. She never answered, so the three searched for her for at least half an hour before meeting up back at the entrance.

"She's gone," said Raku. "She's probably searching for Teddy herself."

"We need to find her as soon as possible."

"No. We will tomorrow." Tanaka stared at his sister, his face showing that his decision was final.

"Tanaka, she's going to _die!_" snapped Yamaguchi. "We can't leave her here by herself!"

"I agree with Yamaguchi," spoke Raku.

"Nor can we carry out a proper expedition without weapons," he said. "We'll be better prepared tomorrow."

"Weapons? Can't we just use our Personas?" Raku quirked a brow.

"You need something to defend yourself with. I have a sword and Yamaguchi has a knife."

"I might have something laying around at my house," Raku said. "I'll bring it tomorrow night."

Tanaka began to leave the entrance of the school. "Remember, don't say a word about the Distortion during school, Raku."

"I know."

…

**April 16th. Wednesday.**

"I don't even know where to buy an actual sword," Tanaka said to his sister. "I'm pretty sure it's illegal to buy real weapons anywhere in ○○○."

"Oh, Raku's here."

It was about five minutes until midnight, and the trio met up in their usual spot across from the academy. Raku was wearing a sweatshirt, and she seemed to be concealing something inside one of its pockets. When she pulled it out, the female revealed a handgun and grinned in satisfaction. "Look what I found in my father's nightstand."

"Isn't he going to notice it's gone?" asked Yamaguchi, gently scraping the tip of her knife against the concrete ground.

"Nah, he's always too busy working. He only visits every once in awhile." She hid the gun back in her sweatshirt's pocket. "I don't know how many bullets it has, but there's plenty at home. I guess he's prepared for any kind of situation."

"We should be entering the Distortion right about…"

The atmosphere darkened, and the red moon came into view. The academy expanded in height, making loud noises as it did so.

"…now."

"Hey, Tanaka?" Yamaguchi poked her brother's shoulder. "How come only we can enter the Distortion, and other citizens don't appear here?"

"I'm not too sure." He began to walk onto the campus with Raku and his sister following behind him. When the trio entered the building, a familiar voice echoed:

**_Father, Mother, my apologies to you._**

Raku panicked and shouted, "Teddy! Teddy's here!"

Yamaguchi grumbled. "Does that mean…"

Tanaka nodded in confirmation. "He must have already encountered his Shadow."

The students ventured around the area, looking around to find the staircase leading to the floor above. Raku pulled out her handgun at the moment she detected a Shadow, cocking and aiming it at the gooey blob. Tanaka only encouraged the female, giving verbal assistance to summon her Persona. Alice appeared and cast Mudo on the Shadow, killing the monster in one hit.

"Your Persona is so cool," Yamaguchi said, enthralled. "We're going to be an amazing team."

The trio continued to venture around the floor, but halted as soon as another voice echoed.

**_Do you see the blue sky being dirtied?_**

"That's Idola," noted Yamaguchi. "She must have encountered her Shadow too."

"Just as I expected…" Tanaka stared at the ground.

"They're both in danger," said Raku.

"Come on," beckoned Tanaka, jogging around the lengthy hall with the two females. At the end of the hallway was the staircase for the next floor, and the three students proceeded to the second floor.

**_Brother, Sister, I'll see you later._**

"Hang in there, Teddy," whispered Raku beneath her breath.

**_Do you like a dark room more than anything else?_**

"Hey, Raku…" Yamaguchi peered at the other female, holding her knife close. "What is Idola like?"

Raku held her gun by her side. "To be honest, I don't really know if they're on friendly terms with each other."

"Idola seemed genuinely concerned about Teddy's disappearance, though. She ran straight into the school…"

"Heads up," warned Tanaka, pointing at a nearby Shadow. "Try to keep focused."

Yamaguchi stabbed her knife into the creature, and Raku shot at it with her handgun. Tanaka finished the Shadow off using Ose, and the three continued down one of the abnormally-stretched halls. When they found the staircase, they hurried up to the third floor.

**_I wanted to be loved…_**

**_Ah, then let's play just a bit…!_**

The trio silently stared at each other, not saying a word about the echoing voices. Instead, they continued down the hallways, defeating any Shadow that crossed their path.

"Shit." Raku stared down at her gun. "I'm out of bullets."

"Are you serious?" Yamaguchi grabbed the other female's weapon from her grasp and examined the handgun. "You'll just have to stick with your Persona."

"No," refuted Tanaka. "Her Persona's accuracy isn't 100%. We'll have to retreat."

"And lose all our progress?" Yamaguchi certainly didn't look pleased.

"But Teddy and Idola…"

"We'll have to retreat," repeated Tanaka, gesturing for the team to follow him back down the hall. "Raku, bring extra ammo tomorrow."

Raku looked down at the ground as if she was being scolded. "Okay."

**April 17th. Thursday.**

"Teddy's not here again…" muttered Shido. He stared outside the drama club's room, expecting the elementary student to show up. "Right as we gain a member back, another disappears…"

"I'm sure he'll be here." Leo took off his beanie to scratch the top of his head.

"He probably hates us," Ruki said. "We _did_ kind of blame him a few meetings ago for Tanaka and Yamaguchi's absences."

Shido frowned. "You guys are horrible people."

Everyone looked taken aback from the club leader's sudden statement.

"Now isn't the time to be arguing." Roku was staring down at a pile of papers he was grading.

"Roku-sensei's right," Leo stated, placing his beanie back on. "We shouldn't be arguing."

"These arguments are becoming more frequent." Raku crossed her arms as she stood next to Tanaka and Yamaguchi. "Teddy will be alright. I know he will."

Shido sighed. "Let's start this meeting."

…

It took the trio awhile to make it back up to the third floor of the distorted school, and as Tanaka suggested, Raku brought plenty of ammo with her in case she ran out. It depleted a good portion of her supply at home, making her worry if her father would find out both the gun and bullets were missing.

Tanaka, Yamaguchi, and Raku were expecting to find the enormous, empty hall on the fourth floor where Raku and her Shadow were, but to their surprise the floor looked exactly like the ones below.

**_Is that what you truly see?_**

**_Hey, how about it? Today's a bit cheaper, after all!_**

**_You will make a real fool out of yourself!_**

The two voices overlapped each other and sounded louder than before, so the trio assumed that they were close to rescuing Teddy and Idola. Raku was careful about wasting bullets, so she summoned Alice often to deal one-hit kills. If her accuracy failed, Tanaka and Yamaguchi stepped in to take out the Shadows together. Several minutes passed when the group located the next flight of stairs and rested between the two floors.

"Are you ready?" asked Tanaka after several minutes, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on.

Yamaguchi and Raku simultaneously nodded, and the three proceeded up the stairs with caution.

The next floor's layout was very different from the design Tanaka and Yamaguchi fought Raku's Shadow in. Rather than being wide and hollow, the fifth floor of the altered academy had thick red strings loosely hanging from the ceiling—almost looking like some giant monster's intestines had been decorated above. The walls were strangely designed with an assortment of colors and looked like someone lazily patched on wallpapers. Scattered throughout the floor were dozens of stuffed animals varying in size, and each had been torn in several places. Some had knives, sewing needles, or even scissors stabbed into them.

"This is… What is this…?" Yamaguchi was at a loss for words, her wide eyes glancing around everyone. "This looks like some child's dream gone wrong…"

"Teddy!" shouted Raku, stepping away from the staircase and onto the layout. "Teddy, where are you?!"

**"Ohoho, nee-chan wants to play too?"**


End file.
